ALLIANCE, OHIO - The Cortland football season came to an end as the 16th-ranked Red Dragons lost 41-14 at top-ranked and unbeaten Mount Union College in the NCAA Division III quarterfinals. Cortland finishes 11-2 and tied for fifth nationally. The nine-time national champion Purple Raiders (13-0) advance to the national semifinals for the 14th consecutive season.

Mount Union tailback Nate Kmic, the all-time NCAA Division III rushing leader, rushed 45 times for 227 yards and four touchdowns in the snowy and windy conditions. He has scored four touchdowns in each of Mount Union's first three NCAA playoff games. Quarterback Greg Micheli completed 16-of-21 passes for 242 yards.

Cortland senior quarterback Ray Miles (Port Byron) completed 10-of-16 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns before leaving game with a hand injury late in the third quarter. He set a school single-season record with 23 touchdown passes. Seniors Zacc Guaragno (Lansing) and Jeffrey Lang (Dryden) each caught four passes, with Lang and senior fullback Dave Murphy (Mohawk) making touchdown receptions.

Four Red Dragons finished with double-figure tackles. Senior defensive end Ben Nagle (Rochester/Aquinas Institute) made 14 tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble. Senior safety Matt Berman (Scarsdale) made 13 tackles, nine solo, senior linebacker Jim Smith (Nanuet) finished with 12 stops and senior safety Mark Schaller (Rochester/Greece Athena) made 10 tackles.

Mount Union outgained Cortland 537-200 in total offense, including a 295-0 margin in net rushing yardage. The Purple Raiders held the ball for 42:33 to Cortland's 17:27 and ran 81 offensive plays to Cortland's 34.

Cortland received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on just six plays for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead 3:25 into the game. The score marked the first time Mount Union has trailed in a game this season. Miles hit Guaragno on a 37-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage and three plays later connected with Lang on a 27-yard pass to the Mount Union 5-yard line. Murphy caught a 5-yard scoring pass two plays later to put Cortland ahead.

Mount Union answered quickly, driving 57 yards on eight plays. Kmic's 1-yard touchdown run capped the drive with 7:40 left in the quarter and the game was tied at 7-7.

A Kyle Peterson (Montrose/Hendrick Hudson) punt on Cortland's next possession pinned the Purple Raiders on their own 12-yard line. Micheli completed two passes, the latter a 42-yard strike to Chad Reynolds, to quickly move the ball to the Cortland 19-yard line, then ran 15 yards on the next play to the 4-yard line. Cortland's defense held, however, holding Kmic to two rushes of no gain and Brian Haas (East Aurora/St. Francis) broke up a pass in the end zone. Ryan Wilk made a 21-yard field goal and the hosts led 10-7.

The Purple Raiders drove to Cortland's 2-yard line on their next possession but once again came up short of the end zone and settled for a Wilk 19-yard field goal to go up 13-7 with 10:05 left in the half. Cortland junior Derrick Woodard (Whitesboro) returned a short kickoff 32-yards to the Mount Union 35-yard line, but the Red Dragons gained only five yards over the next four plays and turned the ball over on downs.

Mount Union proceeded to drive 71 yards on 13 plays, including a 6-yard Micheli run on 4th-and-2 from the Cortland 18-yard line and a a 12-yard catch by Reynolds on 3rd-and-12 from the 14-yard line. The drive culminated with a Kmic 2-yard touchdown run and the Purple Raiders led 20-7 with 1:06 left in the half.

Cortland, however, started its ensuing drive on its own 46-yard line after a Woodard 21-yard kickoff return. Miles quickly found senior Mike Lane (White Plains) for a 23-yard reception and then hit Lang on a 31-yard touchdown pass. Lang also added the extra point with 41 seconds left and Cortland went into halftime trailing just 20-14.

Mount Union took the first possession of the third quarter and drove into the wind 70 yards on nine plays for a touchdown. Kmic broke off back-to-back runs of 16 and 21 yards during the drive, the latter his longest run of the game, and scored from two yards out two plays later to put the hosts up 27-14.

Later in the quarter, Cortland forced Mount Union's lone punt of the game and Miles hit Hajnos on a 40-yard bomb on the next play to advance the ball to the Purple Raiders' 36-yard line. The Red Dragons, however, lost two net yards over the next three plays and Peterson's punt just went into the end zone beyond the front left pylon to give Mount Union the ball at its 20-yard line.

On Mount Union's next drive, it faced a 1st-and-25 from its own 22-yard line following a personal foul face mask penalty - the first penalty called on either team in the game. Micheli hit Kmic on an 8-yard pass on first down, ran for seven yards on second down and found Reynolds for a 14-yard completion on third down to move the chains. Later on 3rd-and-7 from the Cortland 46-yard line, Micheli completed a 23-yard pass to Vince Petruziello. Kmic covered the remaining 23 yards on four carries, the last from three yards out with 14:29 left in the game.

Cortland made one last push trailing 35-14. Woodard's 47-yard kickoff return started the Red Dragons on the Mount Union 48-yard line. Sophomore quarterback Dan Pitcher (Cortland) completed a 9-yard pass to Guaragno, and an illegal helmet contact penalty on the play pushed the ball to the Mount Union 29-yard line. On 3rd-and-3 from the 22-yard line, however, James Herbert sacked Pitcher for an 8-yard loss, and a fourth down pass was knocked down.

The hosts finished the scoring with a 70-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 22-yard pass from Micheli to Reynolds with 5:55 left. Reynolds finished with five catches for 111 yards and Cecil Shorts made six catches for 63 yards.

Mount Union will host Wheaton College of Illinois in the national semifinals on Dec. 13 at noon. The other national semifinal will feature Mary Hardin-Baylor of Texas hosting defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater. The national championship game will be held Dec. 20 in Salem, Va.

Box Score

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